Can Dogs Eat Mushrooms? List of Mushrooms That Are Safe For Dogs

We, humans, love to eat mushrooms since it has various health benefits to us, but can dogs eat mushrooms too? That’s an excellent question and an important one as well. As a dog owner, you need to know things about the mushroom before serving it to your pet. Now we are going to learn in this article why mushrooms are both good and bad for dogs. We will also find out how to serve and moderate a dog’s mushroom intake.

Can Dogs Eat Mushrooms?

Yes, dogs can eat mushrooms, but (and it’s a big BUT) they can only safely eat certain mushrooms. The safest kind of mushroom for dogs is the ones that you can buy from a store or market. Mushrooms that are sold in stores are much more harmless that the ones that are growing in the wild or nature.

Poisoning and eventually death is usually the results of dogs eating mushrooms that are growing wild outdoors. A toxic mushroom that is harmful to both humans and dogs grows outdoors not to mention inedible. Sometimes canines may eat wild mushrooms accidentally which in turn can be detrimental to them.

If you want the safest mushrooms for your pet, then buy some at a store since it is the only way to be sure that they’re safe to eat for canines. You don’t want to take risks on your dog’s health and life by serving it wild mushrooms.

Nutrients of Mushrooms that is Good for Dogs

Things like mushroom, fungus and others of their kind have health benefits for people and dogs. So what makes mushrooms good for dogs? Mushrooms contain necessary nutrients that aid and promote your pet’s physical well-being. To know the various properties and effects of nutrients to canines read the list below:

B vitamins – Consists of vitamins that are water-soluble and are cofactors in cell metabolism. The vitamins are B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12.

Vitamin D – A fat-soluble vitamin that is necessary for balancing the phosphorous level and regulates the calcium in your dog’s body. Also, helps in nerve and muscle control as well as bone formation process.

Protein – Growing new hair, building as well as repairing skin cells and muscle tissues are some of the functions of the protein. Other functions of protein are providing energy for daily activities, fortifying the immune system, creates hormone and enzymes to normalise the body functions of the dog.

Vitamin C – Boost the immune system of canines and is an anti-carcinogen (prevents cancer) agent. Vitamin C fights viral infections such as skin disease, polio, and distemper. This vitamin also stops other diseases like a kennel cough, abscesses, respiratory infections and bacterial infections.

Riboflavin –This is a water-soluble coenzyme that is responsible for the catabolism of amino acids, energy production from fats and maintains the cells, energy Originally there was some confusion about riboflavin and Vitamin B1 being the same nutrient. The research in the eighties, however, shows that riboflavin and Vitamin B1 are two different nutrients.

Manganese- An essential nutrient for using carbohydrates and protein correctly by the dog’s body and it also helps in its reproductive health. Weak growth, reproductive failure, abnormalities in the skeletal system and ataxia or loss of equilibrium are due to manganese deficiency.

Antioxidants – A term for several carcinopreventive or anticarcinogen agents that prevent cancer in dogs. Aside from preventing cancer antioxidants enhances your pet’s immune system, prevents coat allergy and skin problems from affecting your dog. Antioxidants can do a lot of good to dog breeds that are susceptible to cancer.

Vitamin A – If your pet is having trouble seeing things, always licks or scratches its fur and its coat looks dull to your eyes then it has Vitamin A deficiency. An intake of Vitamin A will prevent those health problems from affecting your dog. Additionally, Vitamin A prevents reproductive problems in canines.

Dietary fiber – Your pet needs help metabolizing its food’s nutrients, and dietary fiber can help with the metabolism process.

Potassium – Maintains and regulates the nerve impulses, muscle contractions and fluid levels of a dog.

Iron – This mineral prevents anemia from afflicting a dog. Canines suffer from anemia once their bone marrow’s production of red blood cells is too few. Fewer red blood cells mean that the oxygen can quickly move into a dog’s bloodstream. Iron is the one mineral that helps produce red blood cells.

Phosphorus – A mineral that serves as a vital component in a canine’s bone development

A little warning about some of the nutrients above: In moderate amounts, they can be beneficial to your pet, but in excess amounts, they can be harmful. Some of them like vitamins A, C, and D are toxic when there is too much of them in a canine’s body. Moderating your pet’s intake of these nutrients is connected to how much mushrooms you serve it during meal time.

Are Mushrooms Bad for Dogs?

Depends on what kind of mushrooms you are feeding your pet. The mushrooms that stores sell to you are fit for canine consumption, but you still need to know what certain types of mushrooms are harmful. A common poisonous mushroom belongs to the kind of mushrooms that are inedible and grows in an outdoor area. Unlike grapes and mangoes mushroom do not have seeds that are poisonous to canines due to them being fungi instead of plants. However, some of the mushrooms themselves contain toxins that can harm both dogs and humans.

There four categories for toxic mushroom types. These are categories A, B, C, and D. While these particular mushrooms are toxic to dogs, pets, canine and humans, they are divided into several types depending on how they poison the body. Here is a list of poisonous mushroom types that you should avoid:

Poisonous Mushrooms with Gastrointestinal Distress effects

Entolomo

Chlorophyllum

Boletus

False Morel Mushrooms

Mushrooms in the Verpa genre

Gyromitra esculenta (Beefsteak)

Mushrooms in the Helvella genre

Gyromitra caroliniana

Liver Toxic Mushrooms

Lepiota (False Parasol)

Galerina

Amanita phalloides (Death Cap Mushroom)

Amanita ocreata (Angel of Death)

Hallucinogenic Mushrooms

Psilocybe

Conocybe

Panaeolus

Gymnopilus

Poisonous Mushrooms with Muscarinic Agents

Clitocybe

Inocybe

Toadstool type Mushrooms

Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric)

Amanita pantherina (Panther Cap)

Each of these mushrooms has a different effect on canines, but regardless of what kind of effect they do to a dog each one of these mushrooms can prove fatal to a dog eventually.

How Many Mushrooms can Dogs Have Daily?

Feed your pet just enough mushrooms that he can eat and digest. Too many mushrooms can cause indigestion. It would be best if you add the mushrooms to your pet’s main meal instead of serving it separately. If your dog is allergic to mushrooms or they make him sick then do not serve it mushrooms.

Also, can dogs have mushroom meals that are not cooked? This kind of mushroom meal is not suitable for canines. It is true that mushrooms from grocery or health stores are safe for consumption, but you still need to cook them. Your precious pet could end up with a bad tummy ache due to improper digestion of mushrooms.

Can Dogs Eat Mushroom Safely?

Can dogs eat mushrooms of certain types that are not poisonous? That answer to that question is a yes. Mushrooms that are safe for doggie consumption are the same ones that we humans use and add in our diet. Each of these edible mushrooms groups affects the dog’s body in a beneficial way:

Shiitake mushrooms – A rich source of protein, zinc, copper, thiamin, folate, selenium, iron, riboflavin, magnesium, potassium, manganese, pantothenic acid, niacin and dietary fiber. The Shiitake mushrooms are one of the world’s healthiest, and it is a symbol of longevity to people in Asia. You can buy Shiitake mushrooms from a store, but you can also grow them using a log.

Maitake mushrooms – Has anti-cancer properties, regulates blood sugar levels, lowers cholesterol, boost the dog’s immune system and suppress tumor. Some people refer to Maitake mushrooms as the “King of Mushrooms” due to their medicinal properties. In fact, for more than 3000 years the Japanese and Chinese have been using this mushroom in their healing practices. Even today Maitake mushrooms are still a vital component in traditional medicines among the Japanese and Chinese.

Reishi mushrooms – Useable as a tonic for alleviating allergy symptoms, increases energy, supports the cardiovascular system, improves canine digestion and regulates the immune system. These effects are due to the various polysaccharides, organic acid, microelements, polypeptides, amino acids, organic acids and coumarin that are present in the mushroom. The Reishi has different colors, and those with purple, black, yellow, blue, white and red colors are the most important. Red-colored Reishi mushrooms are the most common type that people cultivate. To some people, the Reishi’s other name is “Grass of Heaven.”

Button mushrooms – Contains B vitamins (sans Vitamin B12), selenium, copper, potassium and phosphorus. Unlike the other edible mushrooms, people around the world commonly cultivate the Button mushroom. As part of its growth cycle, the Button produces three other varieties after a few days of growing. From Button, the mushroom turns into a Crimini, and after a few days, it turns into Portobello.

These mushrooms are available at grocery stores or health stores. You serve these mushrooms either as extra ingredients in your dog’s meal or make then into the main meal. Also, remember to cook the mushrooms well before serving them to your pet.

Can dogs Eat Wild Mushroom?

The answer is no, and don’t even think of the idea of giving wild mushrooms to your pet just to save money. Just think of how much money you are going to spend treating your dog. when it gets sick Your pet’s well-being is important to keep it healthy and to serve it with wild mushrooms is a bad idea. Bear in mind that mushrooms that grow in the wild belong to the poisonous Mushroom family.

Symptoms of Dogs That Eat Poisonous Mushroom

We can’t monitor what our pet dogs will do all the time. Sure you can precautions and measures to stop a dog from ingesting poisonous mushrooms accidentally, but it does happen. Should your pet ingest too many toxic mushrooms, it will show signs of being affected by the mushroom’s poison. It’s a good thing that mushroom poisoning has symptoms that show up. Here is a list of those symptoms:

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Weakness

Lethargy

Abdominal pain

Skin turning yellow (or jaundice)

Uncoordinated movements

Ptyalism or Excessive drooling

Seizures

Coma

The last symptoms seizures and coma indicates that the dog is near death due to a large number of toxins in its body. Should any or a combination of these symptoms appear to take your pet a veterinarian as quickly as possible. Mushroom poisoning doesn’t happen at once, but your dog will show signs of it. If you suspect that your pet may have eaten some mushroom, then take it to vet for a checkup.

Can Puppies Eat Mushrooms Safely?

Well, the answer would be yes to the question of whether puppies can eat mushrooms safely. The pup that is past its weaning period and is starting to eat solid food can eat some mushrooms but in little bits. This part of the pup’s maturity is the best time to make it use to eating foodstuffs like mushrooms. Just avoid the poisonous mushroom types, and your puppy will do okay. Also if you’re taking your pet for a walk in the woods make sure that you keep an eye on it or hold it on a leash. Toxic mushroom types tend to grow wild in wooded areas, and your puppy might accidentally ingest one.

Try giving your puppy little bits mushroom to check if it can eat them. Some puppies are allergic to mushrooms, and some suffer from gastrointestinal problems. On the hand, your pup may not like mushrooms no matter how hard you try to make it eat.

Conclusion

So can dogs eat mushrooms as part of their diet? Yes, they can, but you need to be careful on choosing what kind of mushrooms your pet can eat. Like any other food mushroom is can be good or bad for dogs. In moderate amount, the mushroom can give lots of health benefits to canines. Too many mushrooms, on the other hand, is no longer beneficial to dogs. Just be careful in serving safe mushrooms to your pet, and it will be okay.